The term "bacon" broadly defines a category of cured and processed pork bellies. Most commonly, pork bellies are cured and processed into strip form bacon or circular form. The weight and yield of bacon is precisely defined by federal regulation. For example, for cured pork bellies to be labelled as "fresh" bacon, i.e. uncooked, the cured pork bellies must have a weight not exceeding the weight of uncured pork bellies. Similarly, for cured pork bellies to be labelled as "cooked" or "precooked" bacon, the cured pork bellies must have a yield not more than 40% the weight of uncured pork bellies, i.e. 60% shrinkage from the initial weight of the pork belly, also known as the "green weight" is required.
The traditional process of curing pork bellies to create a bacon product entails the infusion of a liquid pickle solution into the pork bellies. Infusion of the pickle solution creates an infusion weight that exceeds green weight. Depending on manufacturing capabilities and customer preference, infusion weight may be anywhere from 105% to 115% of green weight. To meet the regulatory product definitions of either fresh or cooked bacon, a degree of weight loss must occur equal to or greater than the added weight of the injected pickle solution, i.e. the finished weight must be equal to or less than the meat portion prior to the injection of the pickle solution. Hence, to obtain the necessary weight reduction to meet the regulatory product definitions for bacon, the prior art has subjected the infused pork bellies to a prolonged low temperature cook cycle.
Historically, this slow cooking took place in smokehouses which achieved the necessary weight reduction and also imparted a smoke flavor characteristic of bacon. Modern techniques employ cooking ovens which heat the product to a core temperature of 140.degree. F. during a 4 to 5 hour cook cycle. This slow, low temperature heating produces a 10%-15% loss of injected weight without reaching temperatures to fully cook the pork bellies. The "smokehouse" treatment cooks-off the liquid portion of the pickle solution leaving behind the seasoning carried in the liquid thus curing the pork bellies and imparting the characteristic bacon taste. After the smokehouse treatment, the cured pork bellies are substantially fluid free.
Because of the use of modern slow cooking ovens, the smoke flavor is now produced in different ways. For circular bacon, created by two individual pork bellies cold formed together and encased within a sausage-style casing, a smoke flavoring agent is added to the pickle solution. With strip bacon, the entire pork belly may also be subject to an atomized spray of smoke flavoring agent within the cooking chamber of the oven.
For fresh bacon, the "smokehouse" treatment causes adequate weight reduction to return the cured pork belly to green weight and therefore within the regulatory product definition for fresh bacon. After the smokehouse treatment, cured pork bellies intended to be sold as fresh bacon are weighed to assure the necessary loss of 10% weight from infused weight. Next, the internal temperatures of the cured pork bellies are chilled from 140.degree. F. to 30.degree. F. to facilitate slicing. The product is sliced and then packaged.
However, for fully cooked bacon, additional weight reduction of at least another 60% from green weight is necessary to bring the product with the regulatory definition for "cooked" bacon. After completion of the smokehouse treatment, cured pork bellies intended to be sold as cooked are weighed to assure loss of at least 10% weight from infused weight. Whether in circular form or strip form, the internal temperatures of the cured pork bellies are chilled from about 140.degree. F. to 30.degree. F. Again, such chilling is done to facilitate slicing. The bellies are sliced and then further cooked, typically in microwave ovens for about 11/2 to 2 minutes depending on microwave amperage, conveyor belt speed through the microwave ovens and, the number of microwave cooking cavities being employed. Such further cooking causes the necessary 60% shrinkage to bring the cured and now fully cooked pork bellies with the regulatory definition for fully cooked bacon.
Hence, curing pork bellies intended as "fresh" bacon uses single step cooking employing solely the smokehouse treatment while cured pork bellies intended as "cooked" bacon uses a two step cooking employing both smokehouse treatment and a second cooking step, typically microwave cooking. The prior art teaches that smokehouse treatment was necessary for curing pork bellies whether they were intended to be sold as fresh or fully cooked bacon.
It is apparent from the above disclosure that smokehouse treatment is both time and energy intensive and contributes greatly to the cost of producing bacon. But with the market for fully cooked bacon product gaining in consumer popularity, prior to the development of the present invention, a need existed for methods to cure and process pork bellies into fully cooked bacon by reducing the costs and time associated with a two step cooking cycle and particularly with the smokehouse treatment.